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WhatsApp is reportedly developing its own Snapchat clone

WhatsApp Status will let you share images for 24 hours before they disappear.

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WhatsApp is reportedly working on an ephemeral photo-narrative feature that's in no way a rip-off of Snapchat. According to Mashable, the Facebook-owned messaging service is testing an image-sharing function called Status. The project was apparently uncovered by keen-eyed folks examining the most recent WhatsApp betas for iOS and Android. The plan appears to be that Status will slot in on the tab menu between Chats and Calls. There'll even be the ability to create doodles and add text captions just like... you know.

Long before Snapchat was a huge deal, it was the subject of a buyout deal from Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg. Snapchat rebuffed the offer, and Facebook's response has been to work relentlessly to undermine the object of its jilted affections. Instagram has been slowly drawing inspiration from its main rival, adding Instagram Stories to its core platform. In addition, Facebook tried to buy the "Asian Snapchat" this summer in the hope of curtailing its rival's international growth. It's a lesson to us all that if Mark Zuckerberg offers you $3 billion for something, maybe factor how much revenge he'll exact if you say no.